KHSEnglish9 - Chandler P

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Classification of Leukemia

1. Leukemia is split into two groups:

2. The two groups above are then split into two other sections:

Lymphoblastic or Lymphocytic leukemia - when cancer occurs in certain marrow cells that make lymphocytes(infection-fighting immune system cells)
Myelogenous or Myeloid leukemia - when cancerous changes take place in bone marrow cells that make blood cells and platelets

3. Lymphoblastic and Myelogenous leukemia are finally divided into four different types of leukemia:

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia - most common form of leukemia found in children
Acute myelogenous leukemia - mainly known to occur in male adults
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia - generally affects adults and 2/3 of those diagnosed are men
Chronic myelogenous leukemia - typically found in adults and only a small number of children

Ways Leukemia is Diagnosed

Physical exams - doctor feels for enlarged lymph nodes, liver or spleen
Blood tests - blood cell counts can determine if the patient has a bizarre number of white blood cells
Chest x-rays - may show swollen lymph nodes
Spinal tap - a lab will check for leukemia cells in the cerebrospinal fluid after it has been medically removed from the body
Cytogenetics - a sample taken from the patient's blood, lymph nodes or bone marrow is checked by a lab for atypical chromosomes
Biopsy -bone marrow is removed from a large bone in the body to see if the tissue contains cancerous cells